26CornerBlitz Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Wow! Haven't heard any former NFL players say this until now. @KelynSoong Antwaan Randle El regrets playing football, says he suffers from memory loss and can barely walk down the stairs http://wapo.st/1S2lqry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Bills Fan Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Wow.. So sad CBF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Teddy Roosevelt threatened to kill the game. They voted him out of office.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KollegeStudnet Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 (edited) I've met several former players in the past few years and the most intriguing/interesting case is Ma'ake Kemoeatu's story. Now 37, Ma'ake Kemoeatu still has issues getting around. He's been out of the league since '12 to help is bro out, by being there for him and donating his kidney to former Olineman, younger brother Chris, who was in dire straits on dialysis. I rememeber him vividly discussing the transition from playing to retiring as being rough emotionally, physically tough on the body. The transition by helping his brother was a major step in his decision. The effects of playing the game still shows when Ma'ake's getting around, sometime utilizes a cane. Here's an article from USA Today in '14 about the Kemoeatu bros. http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/09/baltimore-ravens-maake-kemoeatu-gives-kidney-pittsburgh-steelers-chris-kemoeatu Edited January 19, 2016 by KollegeStudnet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 “There’s no correcting it. There’s no helmet that’s going to correct it. There’s no teaching that’s going to correct it. It just comes down to it’s a physically violent game. Football players are in a car wreck every week.” Yet he sued the NFL anyway. "Severe spinal cord injuries"? Also, he's delusional if he thinks he would, as a 14th round pick "still be playing baseball"---not in MLB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ (not THAT RJ) Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Teddy Roosevelt threatened to kill the game. They voted him out of office.. No, he was re-elected in a landslide in 1904, then announced he wouldn't run in 1908. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuoteTheRaven83 Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Jeff Samardzija is smart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 I can hardly walk down the stairs and I never played football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 (edited) “There’s no correcting it. There’s no helmet that’s going to correct it. There’s no teaching that’s going to correct it. It just comes down to it’s a physically violent game. Football players are in a car wreck every week.” Yet he sued the NFL anyway. "Severe spinal cord injuries"? Also, he's delusional if he thinks he would, as a 14th round pick "still be playing baseball"---not in MLB. A 14th round pick in baseball isn't what you think it is. I have no idea how good he was, but if teams think a high school player is likely to go to college for baseball, they don't draft him until later. Generally speaking, if you're not drafted in the first 1-2 rounds of the MLB draft, it's smarter (and more montarily rewarding at the end of the day) to play college baseball. The additional complicating factor with someone like Randle El was that he was clearly a football prospect too. There's too much risk to draft someone like that in, say, the 3rd through 5th rounds of the MLB draft. MLB is loaded with later-round picks because of the uncertainty surrounding whether a HS player will play college baseball or not. After three years in college, a player can re-enter the draft and be drafted all over again. A few years ago, the Yankees drafted Gerrit Cole out of high school in the late first round, but he went to college (UCLA) instead. A few years later, the Pirates drafted him #1 overall. You can bet the Yankees regret that pick despite the fact that they were right (Cole is awesome). http://www.si.com/mlb/photos/2015/06/08/diamonds-rough-baseballs-best-late-round-draft-picks/1 Edited January 19, 2016 by dave mcbride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Hindsight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuoteTheRaven83 Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Only way to fix this problem is to get rid of helmets and force you to play the right way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 A 14th round pick in baseball isn't what you think it is. I have no idea how good he was, but if teams think a high school player is likely to go to college for baseball, they don't draft him until later. Generally speaking, if you're not drafted in the first 1-2 rounds of the MLB draft, it's smarter (and more montarily rewarding at the end of the day) to play college baseball. The additional complicating factor with someone like Randle El was that he was clearly a football prospect too. There's too much risk to draft someone like that in, say, the 3rd through 5th rounds of the MLB draft. MLB is loaded with later-round picks because of the uncertainty surrounding whether a HS player will play college baseball or not. After three years in college, a player can re-enter the draft and be drafted all over again. A few years ago, the Yankees drafted Gerrit Cole out of high school in the late first round, but he went to college (UCLA) instead. A few years later, the Pirates drafted him #1 overall. You can bet the Yankees regret that pick despite the fact that they were right (Cole is awesome). http://www.si.com/mlb/photos/2015/06/08/diamonds-rough-baseballs-best-late-round-draft-picks/1 Randle-el says he wasn't going to go to college if he went with baseball. The likelihood Randle El would STILL being playing pro ball is closer to zero than he imagines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 (edited) Randle-el says he wasn't going to go to college if he went with baseball. The likelihood Randle El would STILL being playing pro ball is closer to zero than he imagines. Maybe he wouldn't have been good - we have no idea. But if you're an MLB team, you're not taking at face value an 18-year old's comment about not going to college. I am quite certain he had provisionally committed to a college by the time of that draft (July), and in any event he would have HAD to provisionally commit by then to Indiana for football. So your first comment above doesn't really apply in this sort of situation. There's a ton of flux with regard to drafted high school players going pro or going to college. If you're drafted in the first round, it's not stupid to go pro. But after that, it gets dicey because the pay is low, and teams are very aware of that. Spending 3 seasons in St. Helena is less monetarily rewarding than an all expenses paid college experience that also happens to reward you with a degree. Basically, you can't compare the MLB draft with either the NFL or NBA. They are very, very different. Edited January 19, 2016 by dave mcbride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 I've met several former players in the past few years and the most intriguing/interesting case is Ma'ake Kemoeatu's story. Now 37, Ma'ake Kemoeatu still has issues getting around. He's been out of the league since '12 to help is bro out, by being there for him and donating his kidney to former Olineman, younger brother Chris, who was in dire straits on dialysis. I rememeber him vividly discussing the transition from playing to retiring as being rough emotionally, physically tough on the body. The transition by helping his brother was a major step in his decision. The effects of playing the game still shows when Ma'ake's getting around, sometime utilizes a cane. Here's an article from USA Today in '14 about the Kemoeatu bros. http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/09/baltimore-ravens-maake-kemoeatu-gives-kidney-pittsburgh-steelers-chris-kemoeatu If I recall correctly, Real Sports did a segment on the brothers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted January 19, 2016 Author Share Posted January 19, 2016 If I recall correctly, Real Sports did a segment on the brothers. They certainly did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterpan Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 I regret playing football too and I never made millions of dollars doing it. People can talk about all the repetitive hits, "Football players are in a car wreck every week.”" But the REAL issue is that it takes only ONE hit to mess up your neck/back/brain forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobobonators Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Someone should do a study on the effects all these supplements these players take since they are 15yrs old. High school football players have an entire GNC cabinet in their lockers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted January 19, 2016 Author Share Posted January 19, 2016 Someone should do a study on the effects all these supplements these players take since they are 15yrs old. High school football players have an entire GNC cabinet in their lockers. Too many doses of toradol and other pain killers to keep these guys on the field with significant injuries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterpan Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Its not just football either. I separated both shoulders, messed up my ankle, and hips from playing a different sport. Each one has daily discomfort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formerly Allan in MD Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 “There’s no correcting it. There’s no helmet that’s going to correct it. There’s no teaching that’s going to correct it. It just comes down to it’s a physically violent game. Football players are in a car wreck every week.” Yet he sued the NFL anyway. "Severe spinal cord injuries"? Also, he's delusional if he thinks he would, as a 14th round pick "still be playing baseball"---not in MLB. There are all sorts of 14th and later round picks in the major leagues. Check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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